


Rippling Sands

by Prussiasaurus_Rex



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-02 12:12:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13317843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prussiasaurus_Rex/pseuds/Prussiasaurus_Rex
Summary: When the leader and deputy die tragically in a fire, WillowClan is thrown into total chaos. Two opposing camps rise to meet the challenge of a new leader. One is led by the aggressive she-cat Sandstripes, who wants to assert WillowClan's dominance over BirchClan and OakClan through violence and war. The other is led by Ripplepelt, who would rather forge a friendship with neighboring OakClan and keep peace with BirchClan.With WillowClan split in two, Sandstripe's daughter Firepaw and her brothers are caught in the middle, between wanting to keep on their mother's good side while not also agreeing with all her ideals. Along with discovering who their father is and secrets that have caused the feud between WillowClan's two camp leaders, Firepaw isn't sure what she'll do.





	1. Allegiances

**Author's Note:**

> The Allegiances will be added to as characters are added. Because this is focused in WIllowClan, I didn't feel the need to list a lot of cats from Birch or OakClan

WILLOWCLAN - NEUTRAL  
Leader: Goosestar - Old, ragged gray tom  
Deputy: Fernstem - Small brown and white tabby she-cat  
Medicine Cat: Littleflame - Bright ginger tom (Mentor to Mousepaw)  
Warriors:  
Bluepelt - Light gray tom  
Echowillow - Silver she-cat with black stripes  
Brightsun - Golden tabby she-cat  
Flowerblaze - Brown, white, and black she-cat with amber eyes  
Apprentices:  
Firepaw - Beautiful tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow-green eyes  
Longpaw - Long-limbed pale ginger tabby tom with huge, round green eyes  
Mousepaw - Ginger tom with white paws and green eyes

WILLOWCLAN - SANDSTRIPES' CAMP  
Leader: Sandstripes - Pale ginger tabby she-cat with huge, round green eyes  
Deputy: Heronfoot - Long-legged white she-cat  
Warriors:  
Quailfur - Pale brown she-cat (Mentor to Icepaw)  
Barkscratch - Huge black tom  
Briartail - Light brown she-cat  
Logwhisker - Dark brown tom  
Apprentice: Icepaw - White tom with yellow eyes

WILLOWCLAN - RIPPLEPELT'S CAMP  
Leader: Ripplepelt - Gray tom with rippling black stripes and yellow-green eyes  
Deputy: Dreamheart - Old silver she-cat with darker stripes  
Warriors:  
Spotfeather - Dark brown and white she-cat with black spots  
Yellowthroat - Brown tom with a golden muzzle, throat, and belly (Mentor to Firepaw)  
Flintclaw - Gray tom  
Asheyes - Light gray tom with darker gray eyes  
Tumbleflight - Gray she-cat (Mentor to Longpaw)  
Timberclaws - Dark brown tabby tom with white paws

BIRCHCLAN  
Leader: Vinestar - Dark brown tabby tom  
Deputy: Buzzardwing - Black tom  
Medicine Cat: Snowscar - Small white tom with old burn scars (Mentor to Talonpaw, a golden brown she-cat)

OAKCLAN  
Leader: Creekstar - Sleek gray tom  
Deputy: Breezestone - Pale gray she-cat  
Medicine Cat: Dustrain - Old tom with faded gray-brown fur (Mentor to Curlpaw, a light brown tom with folded ears, former kittypet)

CATS OUTSIDE THE CLAN  
Panther - Old black tom with silver hairs throughout his pelt  
Bitty - Brown and white tabby queen (Mother to Gray, a gray tabby tom, and Loki, a brown and white tabby tom)  
Aqua - Big, long-furred blue-gray tom, the father to Bitty's kits


	2. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A black tom has a late night meeting with a she-cat, though it's not the one he expected.  
> Takes place 6 moons before the main story.

The night was still, quiet, and barely lit. The stars in the sky and the half moon cast a fairly faint glow on the small lake below, which wasn’t even disturbed by waves or wind. Most of the lake was surrounded by trees, though they were fewer and further between than the forest the lay beyond. There was clear evidence that Twolegs often came here, with wooden objects, small den-like areas, and a Thunderpath nearby. Luckily there were none there now, and the area would almost appear abandoned if not for a raccoon scavenging for unused Twoleg food near one of the den-like areas.  
Just down the Thunderpath, an old black tom carefully picked his way along. He paused for a moment when he came to the large area of Thunderpath, knowing this was typically where monsters slept. However, there seemed to be none now, and the tom knew that monsters rarely came here, and that if there were any, it was typically only one or two. He looked around, as if searching for someone, then padded carefully along, giving the raccoon a wide berth as he made his way down to the lake.  
His yellow eyes reflected back at him, standing out from his dark pelt. He had always been fascinated by his reflection, mostly due to his face. His wide nose and general facial shape had always reminded him, and most cats he came into contact with, of a black panther. He purred lightly, remembering how in his youth, he had often scared kittypets by claiming he was part panther, and had used it as a way to steal food from them when he failed in his hunting attempts.  
Hearing the very faint sound of pawsteps behind him, his ear twitched as he turned to face the newcomer. A silver she-cat with thick black stripes approached him, and he turned more fully to face her, looking somewhat startled. “Echowillow! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you!” he called, voice friendly but tense. The dark-striped she-cat paused about a fox-length away from the tom. While the tom would usually assume a cat in her position would do that out of caution, Echowillow seemed to be completely at ease.  
“Your friend can’t come tonight. She kitted earlier today.” she called, her tone informative. The black tom’s ears perked in interest, but he hesitated. Echowillow was very hard to read now, and it worried him greatly. He wasn’t sure how he would feel if he walked in her paws, but he figured it would feel strange to be her, especially now that she was playing a messenger.  
“...How many kits?” he finally asked. He was honestly curious, though he didn’t want to let on how excited he was. That would make this who situation even worse.  
“Four. Three toms and a she-kit. None of them look like you. Only one has any black in their pelt, but tortoiseshells happen all the time with ginger queens.” Echowillow responded. The black tom wasn’t sure if he should be disappointed or relieved. He didn’t want the queen in question to get in trouble, but he had also hoped to at least have one kit that looked somewhat like him.  
“Has she named them yet?” he asked, pushing past any traces of disappointment and now focusing on getting as much information as possible. Echowillow shook her head.  
“It was a very hard birth. I believe she was resting still when I left.” she replied. The tom nodded, thinking for a moment. Four new kits, so far unnamed.  
“Do you know when she’ll be well enough to travel? You know, like, to come visit the lake.” he asked, tail twitching slightly in excitement at the thought of meeting four little kits. Echowillow faltered now, glancing off toward the trees.  
“…Dreamheart wasn’t very happy when she heard about Sandstripes having kits.” she stated softly. The black tom’s heart fell at the mention of Dreamheart, and he looked at Echowillow somewhat suspiciously.  
“...What does that have to do with Sandstripes’ coming to the lake?” he asked, though it was clear that he seemed to have a pretty good idea what the answer would be. Echowillow shifted her wait on her paws, seeming to be unsure on how she wanted to phrase her answer. The black tom’s face fell, and he glanced off toward the trees that Echowillow had come from, where he had seen Sandstripes run off into after their meetings over the past several moons.  
“...Dreamheart and Sandstripes argued earlier today. There was a huge ruckus in the nursery earlier this morning, and Spotfeather said they were speaking in really vague terms, so she thought it might be about Sandstripes’ mystery mate.” Echowillow finally informed him. The black tom looked back toward Echowillow, seeming worried.  
“Does anyone have any clue who the father is? Dreamheart was never one to pick random fights, and I would hate for the clan to get suspicious over-”  
“Nobody thinks Sandstripes is the type to go have kits with a rogue.” Echowillow interrupted, her response quickly reassuring the old tom. “In fact, the rumor around camp is that Ripplepelt is the father, and that they just had a falling out and Dreamheart’s upset about it.” she added. The tom tensed a bit at the name, and looked away with an ashamed expression.  
“How is Ripplepelt? I imagine he’s denying it.” he mumbled, the question almost sounding like an afterthought.  
“Ripplepelt is still very angry with you. But he’s not going out of his way to deny anything, or confirm anything. He doesn’t want the kits to grow up with the shame of being half rouge, given he knows the feeling.” Echowillow responded, her tone now somewhat sharp. The black tom looked back to the silver tabby, who now looked almost insulted.  
“...I didn’t mean anything bad about Ripplepelt.”  
“You didn’t have to sound so disinterested. We’re still your kits too, whether you and Dreamheart stopped being mates or not.”  
“I never said otherwise! Echowillow, I care about you and Ripplepelt just as much as I care for my new kits.” he assured, his tone strained and worried. Echowillow glanced off behind her.  
“I’m sure you do. I just wish you would make more of an effort with Ripplepelt. I wish you would make an effort with the clan. You never even tried to become a warrior.”  
“I’m not a clan cat, Echowillow. I’m sorry.”  
“You don’t know that, Panther. I would do anything to be with my kits, whether it made me unhappy or not. But I don’t think you would be unhappy as a warrior. After all, you can’t stay away from the queens.” she replied, her tone somewhat harsh again. Panther stiffened and looked away. “You think I didn’t notice that you went after a she-cat even younger than your daughter? You think Dreamheart didn’t notice?”  
“Sandstripes being pretty or young has nothing to do with it. It started out with us being friends. I helped teach her new hunting techniques.”  
“I don’t doubt it. That doesn’t mean I approve any more or less. I’m sure you would go after any she-cat to teach her hunting techniques if she didn’t attack you on sight.” Echowillow snapped sarcastically. Panther’s pelt bristled.  
“Don’t take that tone with me, Echowillow. You’re getting more and more like your brother! Neither of you could possibly understand what it’s like being a rogue, you’ve spent your entire lives being surrounded by clan-mates and not having to live alone and take care of yourselves. When I find friends, I have a tendency to get really attached, I won’t lie about that. But acting like I only ever bond with she-cats, and only so I can have more mates, that’s just spreading lies about the kind of cat I am, and I don’t appreciate that. Reputation is everything I have.”  
“And you do a good enough job at destroying it yourself, I noticed.”  
“Like you know-” Panther and Echowillow both fell silent at the sound of others off in the distance, loud calls and purring making it clear that they were apprentices. Panther turned and padded off quickly, knowing that the conversation was over.  
Echowillow watched her father go, knowing that the chances of ever seeing him again grew smaller and smaller with every meeting. She felt hollow inside, wondering it their argument was worth it, or if she would one day regret it. Then she turned and padded into the forest to meet up with her approaching clan-mates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up getting sick the day after I made the Allegiances, which is why I didn't get this up sooner. But hopefully I'll be able to update more often from now on!  
> I'll probably try updating at least twice a week, Mondays and Fridays at least.


End file.
